Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

D. S. STEPHENS, OF'LA PORTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND CHARLES SEYMOUR, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,821, dated March 1, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, D. S. STEPHENS, of La Porte, in the county of La Porte and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved VVater-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specitication, in which- Figure l is a side sectional view of my invention taken in the line a' x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same taken in the line y y, Fig. 1 5 Fig. 3, a detached longitudinal section of the wheel taken in theline z z, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to an improved waterwheel of that class in which the direct and reactive force of the water is obtained; and it consists in the employment or use of a series of buckets which are placed longitudinally on the shaft, with inclined 'planes between them, in combination with a series of curved or spiral buckets at each end of the longitudinal buckets, the former being 'encompassed by chutes for directing the water properly upon them, and all placed within a box or penstock and arranged as hereinafter set forth, whereby it is believed that an economical wheel is obtained, and one that will give out a large percentage of the eli'ective power of the water.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the shaft of the wheel, and B O O the buckets thereof. The buckets B are placed between the buckets C O, and the former may be very slightly curved from'a radial position or beveled at the sides against which the water acts. These buckets B a-re placed loi'igitudinally on the shaft A, and between them on the shaft there are placed double-inclined planes a a, which are shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the inner ends of said planes being the elevated ends and abutting against each other, so as to form dec'ivities from the center of the spaces between the buckets outward toward each other.

The buckets C C at each end of the buckets B have a spiral position on the shaft A, the spaces between them gradually decreasing and said buckets G have.such a position on the shaft as to extend backward from the direction in which the wheel rotates.

The wheel is inclosed within a box, D, which may be `'of rectangular form, and the bucketsY B are encompassed by a series of chutes, E, so arranged or disposed` as to cause the water to act upon the buckets at right angles, as will be seen by referring to Fig. l. The top of the bex D is provided with a gate, F, which is hung centrally upon hinges to admit when open, as shown in red in Fig. l, of the water passing down at each side ot it. The buckets G O are encompassed by the side pieces, b b, of the box D,vas shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The. water first acts upon the central buckets, B, by impact or direct action, the chutes E, as before stated, guiding or properly directing the water upon said buckets, and the water is divided and deflected by the inclined planes a c toward the end buckets, C C, and by a reactive inuence acts upon the buckets O G and B, and when this latter force is expended again acts upon the buckets C O as it escapes from the wheel at both ends through the apertures in the side pieces, b b. By this arrangement a large percentage of the power of the water is obtained.

The wheel may be constructed of wood or metal, and the shaft may be placed in either a horizontal or vertical position.

.Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The buckets B, placed longitudinally on the shaft A,\vith inclined planes a between them, in combination with the curved or spiral buckets C O, placed at each end of the buckets B, and the latter encompassed by chutes E, all being placed within a box or penstock, D, and arranged as and for the purpose specified.

2. The inclined planes a a, placed on the shaft A between the buckets B, when used in connection with the buckets C C, box or penstock D, and chutes E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

D. S. STEPHENS.

Witnesses:

B. T. KELLs, W. H. ELLswoRTI-I.

in width from their inner to their outer ends, 

